As Senator Healy Eames has a pressing engagement, she wishes to raise her matter first.
Adjournment Matters
Pupil-Teacher Ratio
Is that agreed? Agreed.
I welcome the Minister of State, my county colleague. I am grateful to Senator Whelan for allowing me to go first, as the timing clashes with my motion at a parliamentary party meeting.
On behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills, will the Minister of State review the Government's position on small rural schools in light of the impact on education and communities? The Government is seeking to find 100 teaching posts this year by increasing teacher retention numbers based on last September's enrolment figures. This will pose a problem, as the proposed changes to rural schools will have far-reaching consequences for the economy — the children are our future — for the quality of education and for rural life.
For example, last September scoil náisiúnta an Tuairín in Beal an Daingin was required to have 76 pupils to hold its four teachers from next September. It had 78. In the budget, the requirement was increased to 81. A few days ago, I was shown birth certificates to prove that there were three more children in the community — there used to be four — but they were advised by their teachers to stay at home so that they might mature. Now the school is in line to lose a teacher and it is unfair that 80 pupils will have a pupil-teacher ratio of approximately 27:1, which is higher than the national average.
Moving the goal posts in this way does not make allowance for the complexity of multi-class teaching, including the teaching of children with special educational needs and of foreign languages. Even in Gaeltacht schools, Irish is a foreign language when it is not the language spoken in the home. Gaeltacht schools are a special case. No account is taken of the fact that they do three standardised tests in English, Irish and mathematics versus the two, English and mathematics, done in all other schools.
I have great difficulty with the Minister's argument for low-end numbers. While I agree with him that 12 children per two-teacher school is overly generous, he is moving the goal posts by requiring 20 children to retain two teachers by 2014. Therefore, 19 children across eight years from ages four to 12 will have one teacher despite the evidence that parents pass one-teacher schools by.
This change has angered communities, teachers and parents. It is viewed as an erosion of the community as well as education and will have a greater effect on rural communities. In a three-teacher school like Carna national school, 49 into 11 were required, but the goal posts are being moved by one or two pupils and the school will drop to a two-teacher school. Changes like this are significant for small schools. The Minister must change the date by which the new retention numbers will apply. Instead of being retrospective, they should be based on next September's figures or even later.
I wish to make a special case for rural DEIS schools with legacy posts. There are only 15 such schools, one of which is in Carraroe. The community has an 80% unemployment rate and the school has been conducting early interventions and reading recovery, but when it loses a teacher, it will no longer be able to do so. We are talking to the wall. The pupils' scores for reading and writing have been increasing. The school is making a difference. We will compromise the quality of education. The Minister has stated strongly that he is for better literacy and numeracy standards, yet we are pulling away the very resource that improves them.
The Senator has gone way over time.
I will summarise my recommendations, as making them is important. I could keep going.
The Senator had four minutes and I must be fair to everyone.
My apologies. I believed it was five. I have made the education argument, but the community argument is even more important. The Minister should not be seen to be forcing amalgamations. He should ask schools to consider amalgamating and allow communities to plan their own futures. Let us not have Government policy engineering a solution that will erode rural life. The recession is already doing that. The Government should not be offering assistance.
I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn. I thank the Senator for raising this issue as it affords me the opportunity to explain to the House the reasoning behind the changes to the staffing schedule. The need to effect savings in my Department's budget has required very difficult decisions to be made, especially at a time when the school-going population is increasing. We will need to find places for 70,000 additional students in the system over the next four to five years. Our objective is to be as fair as possible in making the decisions that are necessary.
One third of all public sector employees in the State work in the education sector. As such, it is simply not possible to exempt staffing levels in education from the requirement to reduce expenditure. There was no increase in the budget in the general average of 28:1 used to allocate teachers to primary schools, a safeguard which had been called for by many interested parties. However, the budget included a phased increase in the pupil threshold for the allocation of classroom teachers in small primary schools. The only change this will mean for such schools is that their average class sizes will no longer be as advantageous as they were in the past due to the phased increases in the pupil thresholds in the staffing schedule.
Where schools are claiming to have more pupils next September than they had last September, as referred to specifically by the Senator, they are asking that some allowance be made. The existing staffing appeals process can be accessed by schools which are projecting increased enrolments sufficient to allow them to retain their existing classroom posts in the longer term. The details on how this will operate will be made clear as part of my Department's forthcoming circular, which will issue shortly to all schools, on the staffing arrangements for the 2012-13 school year.
Even when all of the phased increases are implemented, the threshold for a second teacher, at 20 pupils, will be significantly lower than the minimum of 28 that was required for the appointment of a second teacher in rural schools prior to the late 1990s. Rural communities have no reason to fear a forced closure of their local school. Such communities represent a cornerstone of Irish heritage, and their schools are in turn the cornerstone of the communities. The Government remains committed to sustaining those communities. This debate affords me an opportunity to state categorically that this measure is not about closing schools which play such an important part in our communities.
For some schools, amalgamation with a neighbouring school may be a sound option for sustaining school provision in a locality where enrolments are falling. It is for schools themselves to decide whether they want to go that route, however, and the Department will work with them in regard to any such move. The Minister expects the report of the value for money review of small primary schools to be presented to him in the next eight weeks. After he has considered its outcomes and proposals, it will be published and laid before the Oireachtas. This will afford an opportunity to Deputies and Senators to have a wide-ranging debate on its proposals.
I have trust and confidence in the capacity of school principals and teachers to play their part in making the best use of available resources to achieve the best possible educational outcomes for their pupils.
I thank the Minister of State for his reply, although it did not provide any additional enlightenment. Many questions remain — too many of them to address in this debate. I ask only that the Minister of State and his senior colleague would meet the people who may have solutions to this problem. There are solutions that have not yet been put forward and which should be discussed. I thank my colleagues, Senators John Whelan and Darragh O'Brien, for facilitating me in raising this matter.
Schools Recognition
Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Tá mé ag iarraidh stádas buan a fháil do Ghaelscoil Ros Eo, a bhunaíodh ceithre bliana ó shin. Nuair a d'oscail an scoil, ní raibh ach rang amháin inti, ach tá 96 dalta sa scoil anois. Tá mé ag iarraidh stádas buan a bhaint amach don scoil faoi láthair. Is scoil iontach tábhachtach í Gaelscoil Ros Eo. Is dóigh liom go bhfuil sé thar am go mbeadh an stádas tugtha di.
I am asking that Gaelscoil Ros Eo be given the official status it deserves. It is four years in operation in the heart of Rush, which has a population of 8,000. The school started with only one classroom and its enrolment has since increased to 96 pupils, with a waiting list. My constituency of Dublin North includes four gaelscoileanna, three of which, I am pleased to say, are in permanent accommodation which was built in the past two and a half years. These are Gaelscoil Bhaile Brigín, Gaelscoil An Duinninigh in Kinsealy agus Gaelscoil Bhrian Bhoróimhe in Swords.
Gaelscoil Ros Eo cannot move any further until it receives official status. We are not expecting miracles, but it is in the gift of the Minister to progress the matter. I have been immensely impressed by all the gaelscoileanna in my area and throughout the country. I see the Minister of State nodding in agreement. It has been a blot on the record of successive Governments that gaelscoileanna such as this have been obliged to operate out of portakabins. Thankfully, that is, in the main, a thing of the past and I wish the Government well in the work that remains to be done.
Granting Gaelscoil Ros Eo official recognition will help it to grow further. It is certainly the wish of people in my Dáil cheantar that their children have the opportunity to be taught through the medium of the Irish language and to avail of all the benefits that go with it. I hope the Department will ensure official status is granted to Gaelscoil Ros Eo without further delay.
I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn. I thank the Senator for raising the matter as it affords me the opportunity to outline the current position on Gaelscoil Ros Eo, Rush, County Dublin. In April 2008, under the patronage of An Foras Pátrúnachta na Scoileanna Lán-Ghaeilge, the school was granted provisional recognition, with effect from September 2008, following on from the report and recommendations of the new schools advisory committee on the recognition of new primary schools for 2008.
An application for permanent recognition was submitted by the school to the Department on 5 November 2010 but was refused on the basis that it did not satisfy the necessary requirement of having a minimum of 17 junior infants enrolled for three consecutive school years. The gaelscoil was notified of the Department's decision and advised that its temporary recognition would be extended and the matter reviewed again when the pupil enrolment position for the current school year 2011-12 was available. On the basis of the increase in school pupil enrolments that has been returned by the gaelscoil, the Department arranged for an inspector's visit to the school, which took place recently. A decision on the matter of granting permanent recognition will be conveyed to the gaelscoil when the inspector's report is received.
My Department has carried out a study to identify the areas of the State where, due to demographic changes, there may be a requirement for significant additional school provision at both primary and post-primary levels in the coming years. In that regard, it has been determined that the number of pupils at primary level is projected to increase nationally from a current enrolment of 510,000 pupils to approximately 540,000 by 2014, with a further increase to 553,000 pupils by 2018. That is an increase in the primary sector of 43,000 pupils over the current levels.
In determining where additional school accommodation is required, the Department has identified the greater Dublin region, including the Rush area, as one of the likely locations of such pupil enrolment increases. In that context, the Department recently approved the rental of an additional temporary mainstream classroom to Gaelscoil Ros Eo to cater for increased enrolments at the school. Given the projected increases in pupil enrolments in the Rush area, the Department will continue to work with the gaelscoil to address its accommodation requirements.
I thank the Minister of State for his response. Reading between the lines, it seems there are good grounds for hope that Gaelscoil Ros Eo will be granted official status. I understand the departmental inspector visited the school some weeks ago. Will the Minister of State see his way to expediting the publication of the resulting report? I have no doubt that the cigire will recommend that official status be given to the school. Rush is a growing area, as borne out by its population and the student numbers in this school. I will follow up this matter in a few weeks time with the Minister of State's office. Recognition of this school would be greatly appreciated by the daltaí, tuismitheoirí agus múinteoirí Gaelscoil Ros Eo.
Crime Prevention
I thank the Cathaoirleach for the opportunity to raise this matter. While this matter comes within the remit of the Department of Justice and Equality, given the environmental dimension, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government may also have a responsibility in this regard. I am sure the Minister of State will clarify the position for me.
What does the Government propose to do to address what is now an epidemic throughout Ireland, namely, the thievery, sale and transfer of scrap and precious metals such as copper, lead and zinc? Theft of these items is highly orchestrated and is posing serious economic, commercial and social problems throughout the country. I know of a number of businesses which, if broken into and robbed one more time, will cease trading. The loss of materials at these plants brings production to a halt, has serious security implications and poses a threat to jobs and the viability of these businesses.
The illicit trade in scrap and precious metals has ballooned out of all proportion in recent months. As in the case of any criminal activity, this would not be happening if there were not people willing to receive and launder stolen precious metals, thus providing an illegitimate outlet for these materials. In some cases, this practice is posing a risk and a serious threat to public health and life, not alone to those stealing the items but to children, owing to exposure of cables and electric devices. It is a most despicable act. Nothing is sacred any more.
A memorial to deceased members in my constituency of Castletown was stolen, resulting not alone in the loss of the memorial, which cost €30,000, but also a great deal of hurt and distress in the community. Many of the people commemorated by that memorial were young people who lost their lives in various tragedies in the locality. Nothing is safe or sacred. The Minister of State and Members will be aware that public sculptures, monuments and art installations throughout the country are being stolen. This problem must be tackled. Doing so will require new regulation, intervention by Government and a greater level of enforcement in the tracking of metals. I urge the Government to ensure this practice is brought to a halt. I look forward to hearing the Minister of State's response.
I thank the Senator for raising this matter on the Adjournment. I am speaking on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, who is unable to be present owing to other commitments. The Minister shares the Senator's concern about incidence of this type of crime and the impact it has on local communities and businesses. I share that concern. My wife and I own a public house in east Galway and have had to undertake extra security measures to protect the barrels in which our beer is delivered.
The Minister has been informed by the Garda authorities that An Garda Síochána is acutely aware of the increase in the theft of metal and is targeting such crime, as well as burglaries and theft related crimes generally, through a number of initiatives. These include Supporting Safer Communities, which lays particular emphasis on burglary prevention and reduction. The initiative involves a targeted response to burglary, taking into account locations, times, offenders and victims. It also includes the development of advice on the prevention of theft of farm machinery and farm security generally. In addition, Garda divisional officers have been advised of measures which can be put in place to prevent and reduce the opportunity for such crime, including measures involving relevant external stakeholders.
As stated by the Senator, tackling this type of crimes requires a collaborative effort and a targeted multi-agency response. Following an analysis of crime trends, An Garda Síochána has established a metal theft forum, involving stakeholders particularly affected by this type of crime. The forum includes the Irish Farmers' Association, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, the Electricity Supply Board, telecoms, transport companies, brewing concerns and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. A metal theft crime prevention and reduction plan is being developed in discussion with the metal theft forum, which it is anticipated will be published in the near future. It goes without saying that the implementation of any strategies in this area will not be solely dependent on the statutory authorities. It will be essential that all stakeholders play their part in supporting the Garda and the local authorities in counteracting illegal activities.
In terms of existing legal provisions, An Garda Síochána enforces the provisions of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001, which covers the handling, possession and withholding of information regarding stolen property. Members of the force will investigate fully any breaches of this legislation. The House will appreciate that issues arise in this area which go beyond the field of criminal justice legislation for which the Minister for Justice and Equality is responsible. While there is no sector-specific regulation for the waste metal industry, I understand that there are relevant statutory provisions in relation to waste activities. These include requirements for appropriate authorisations under the Waste Management Act 1996. The terms of such authorisations are primarily derived from requirements of EU directives on waste and specific waste streams such as end-of-life vehicles or electronic waste. Depending on the authorisation required, these activities are controlled either by the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, or by local authorities as competent authorities nominated by the State to implement such legislation. The purpose of these controls is to regulate the collection, recovery or disposal of waste in order to protect the environment. Enforcement of waste legislation is a matter either for the EPA's Office of Environmental Enforcement, OEE, in relation to waste licences or for local authorities in relation to waste permits. Provision is also made in the Waste Management Act 1996, as amended, for the appointment of members of An Garda Síochána as authorised officers under the Act who are granted powers, including the powers of stop, search and seizure, where there are suspected breaches of the Act.
As indicated on behalf of the Minister, the recent increase in illegal activities in this area is being addressed by the metal theft forum led by An Garda Síochána. Publication of that forum's plan is anticipated. In addition, my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, has asked his Department to examine the waste licensing and permit legislation to ensure all necessary provisions, especially those relating to traceability, are in place to avoid situations that might be exploited by criminal elements. This examination is ongoing.
I welcome that there is a multi-agency and cross-departmental response on this issue. I await publication of the forum's plan. I welcome also that the Department of Justice and Equality and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government continue to examine what additional measures or strengthening legislation might be necessary to curb what is not a casual matter but a highly organised and orchestrated offence. I welcome that, as stated by the Minister of State, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government is reviewing its traceability provisions in respect of the transaction and trade in scrap and precious metals, which will assist greatly in bringing this matter under control.
Hospital Services
I welcome the Minister of State to the House to respond to this important issue for people in Waterford and the south east, namely, the impact of health funding cuts on acute hospital services in Waterford and for patients throughout the south east.
As I understand it, there is to be a cut of approximately €6.5 million this year in the budget of Waterford Regional Hospital, which is to be recouped by way of cuts in services across all departments. The Minister has been very defensive about all this. However, there will be cuts to services across hospitals in particular acute services owing to health cutbacks.
Information given to me by people who work at Waterford Regional Hospital indicates that the cuts to be imposed this year will be severe and will impact on patient care. Some of the cuts under consideration are a 5% reduction in inpatient activity; a 10% reduction in the number of day cases; a 20% reduction in the number of new patients in the outpatient department; the closure of theatres and a surgical ward; the loss of paediatric inpatient beds, as well as beds in other units; and reduced expenditure on medication for the regional rheumatology day-service unit, for which a reduction of 50% will mean restricted access to treatment for patients with severe arthritic conditions. It is obvious that there will be dramatic cuts across all services at the hospital.
When I released the information to which I refer, one of the Minister of State's party colleagues accused me of misleading the public and acting reprehensibly. I must inform Fine Gael, the Minister of State and the Government that what is reprehensible is cutting funding to hospitals and allowing a situation to develop where front-line services will be either curtailed or lost. In opposition, the Minister of State's party made great play of the fact that, if elected to govern, it would deal with the real waste in the system, namely, bureaucracy and in the various management layers in the HSE, hospitals and the Department. What we have been presented with, however, is a one-size-fits-all approach to cuts in services, etc., in all hospitals. That is a far cry from the money following the patient approach — whatever that meant in the first instance — to which the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, referred when in opposition. In many ways, that approach is penalising efficiency.
I was present at a meeting attended by members of the Minister of State's party and clinical directors and leading clinicians at Waterford Regional Hospital. Those who work in the hospital pleaded with us to appeal to the Minister for Health to have the cuts reversed. They also impressed upon us the need to ensure there would be proper acute services in the region. I accept that there is also a need for a reorientation of services across the region. Waterford Regional Hospital must function as the region's acute hospital. In addition, it must specialise in the provision of complex acute services in areas such as cancer care, neurology, cardiology, etc. As a result of cuts to its funding, however, it is not being given the opportunity to provide such services. There are real concerns about the retention of some of the services to which I refer.
I am seeking clarity. People have referred to the spreading of misinformation on this matter. The HSE should publish its plans for the hospital. Deputies in the Lower House should not act as public relations officers for the HSE. As public representatives, it is our responsibility to ensure we defend hospital services. All I am interested in is obtaining the facts from the HSE and discovering what the impact of the cuts in funding will be on patient care at the hospital in the area in which I live. There is a need for honesty in this matter and clarity with regard to the cuts to be implemented at the hospital.
Is the Minister of State in a position to confirm that there is going to be a cut of €6.5 million to the budget of Waterford Regional Hospital? Will he indicate whether there will be cuts across the various departments? People should be told the truth. In the context of the HSE's national service plan, the Minister for Health has acknowledged that there will be cuts to services. However, local politicians throughout the country are stating there will not be any cuts at the hospitals in their areas. There are going to be cuts to services as a result of the overall reduction in funding. People should be honest about that fact.
I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly.
The health sector is facing significant funding challenges this year. As a result of the current crisis, the absolute priority must be to place the economy and the public finances on a sustainable footing. However, the Minister is determined to ensure the impact on services is minimised through relentless performance management, best practice and reform in how services are delivered. This will apply in all settings and services and for those delivering such services.
The HSE's national service plan 2012 was approved by the Minister on 13 January and published by the HSE on 16 January. It sets out the health and personal social services that will be delivered by the HSE within its current budget of €13,317 billion and identifies a cost-reduction target in 2012 of €750 million. It reflects the commitments in the programme for Government in respect of health and the savings targets set out in the comprehensive expenditure report for the period 2012 to 2014.
The scale of the financial challenge facing the HSE means that there will be an inevitable and unavoidable reduction in services. However, this will not be a straight line reduction. Waterford Regional Hospital, in line with other acute hospitals, must face the challenge of reduced budgets and align its 2012 activity levels and services to the budget allocated. As a direct result of budgetary and staff reductions nationally, activity levels in 2012 will be expected to fall by approximately 6%. The Minister hopes this can be contained to 3% through increased efficiency, including the effective implementation of the clinical programmes. In this regard, at Waterford Regional Hospital strategic integration is taking place of the acute medicine programme into hospital processes, with further realignment of beds with this model, including those in the medical assessment and acute medical admissions units. Furthermore, the number of short-stay beds and rapid access outpatient clinics is increasing in order to improve admission avoidance. In addition, the productive theatre initiative was introduced in December 2011 and work is advancing at pace in order to maximise patient access. Surgical bed stock realignment will begin in early 2012 to underpin and retain the performance to date in day-case surgery. The hospital is performing consistently well, including in the context of delivering on special delivery unit targets for scheduled and unscheduled care, in the emergency medicine programme. The Minister is satisfied that elective activity targets, while challenging, will be enabled by the successful implementation of the elective surgery programme and the positive theatre initiative.
The HSE's national service plan commits it to minimising the impact on services by fast-tracking new, innovative and more efficient ways of using limited resources. It reflects the need to move to new models of care across all service areas in order to treat patients at the lowest level of complexity and provide quality services at the lowest possible cost. It also includes a commitment to addressing staffing levels, skill mix and staff attendance patterns-rosters within the framework of the public service agreement. The plan will be implemented in the context of the significant new governance structures for the health service recently announced by the Minister.
The HSE is satisfied that Waterford Regional Hospital will deliver on its 2012 service plan without any impact on emergency or urgent care services. The details of the plan are being worked through. The final version of the plan will be available on publication of the regional service plan for HSE South on 9 February.
I am sure the Minister of State's speech was written by a civil servant. The information it contains was obviously obtained by the HSE. On each occasion we ask questions about what is going to happen at Waterford Regional Hospital, all we get from the HSE is spin. We are informed about new appointments which might happen at some point in the future. However, we are not being given details in respect of how the €6.5 million cut in the hospital's funding will impact on patient care. The Minister of State has indicated that activity levels are expected to fall by 6%. I presume this is an across-the-board figure for the health service nationally. It is possible that the figure might be above 6% for certain hospitals. As stated, the information given to me by people who work in Waterford Regional Hospital indicates that, in some instances, the figure will certainly be higher than 6%.
I look forward to publication of the regional service plan for HSE South next week. When it emerges, we will see the real detail with regard to what is envisaged. Unfortunately, many of the plans published by the HSE do not contain such detail and all we tend to get are vague commitments about things that may occur in the future. Information on what is happening in individual hospitals tends to be absent from such plans.
Many of the staff at Waterford Regional Hospital, including consultants, clinical directors, clinicians and front-line staff, are extremely concerned about the impact of the proposed cuts on service delivery. I do not know whether the Minister for Health wants to accept this, but it is the reality for those who work in the hospital.
I have the utmost respect for every Member of both Houses of the Oireachtas and 99.99% of us are here to try to create a better country for the people whom we serve; it is an incredible honour and privilege to sit in either House. This includes Senator Cullinane, as my respect extends to everybody who operates in this environment. However, in recent weeks my respect for Sinn Féin has begun to dwindle.
We are operating in an incredibly difficult economic environment. This is a fact and the Senator must admit this, as must I. In Northern Ireland, 100 miles up the road, there is an equally difficult — some might argue an even more difficult — economic environment because of the cuts handed down to the Northern Ireland Government by the UK Government based in London. This has required Sinn Féin in government in Northern Ireland to make very difficult decisions, which it is willing to stand over, 100 miles away.
According to research I carried out earlier today the Northern Ireland Government proposes to cut €2.3 billion from its health budget next year. This will probably require redundancies in the order of 4,000 posts, including some enforced redundancies. This action prompted 26,000 health care workers to go on a one-day strike in Northern Ireland last September. If Sinn Féin is willing to acknowledge, and be honest in facing up to, these challenges 100 miles away — they are definitely difficult economic challenges — why can it not be equally honest in this environment?
They are different states. I do not stand over the cuts in the North. As the Minister of State said——
The Senator's party does. That is all I am saying.
——the cuts are due to the cuts in the block grant from the British Government, as he well knows.
The Seanad adjourned at 7.05 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 2 February 2012.